The Dakota Native American Tribe
By: Carissa Schaub
The Dakota Tribe
The name is The Dakota. They lived in the Great Plains and they were the first nations band government in North America. They also lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
What does the word Dakota mean?
The word Dakota means “friend, ally” in the Dakota language, and their antonyms include “Indian People.”
What do they live in?
The Dakota tribe lived in a tipi. A tipi is typically made of stretching buffalo skin over a skeleton of 20-30 wooden poles. So the poles slant towards the middle point of the tipi. Then they tie the pole at the top of it.
What do they eat?
They gather wild rice, hunted for animals and fish. So they mostly eat beans, pumpkins, buffalo, cranberries, and corn
What did they make their tools out of?
The main animal that the Dakota tribe hunted were buffalo because they were resourceful. They didn’t waste anything. They used the horns of the buffalo to make utensils like forks, spoons, cups, and toys. The bones of the buffalo were used to make weapons like arrow heads and hide scrapers. The tail of the buffalo was used for whips, and the stomach and intestines were used for carrying water.
Fun facts
Traditional religious beliefs center around Wakan Tanka, their god and creator of all things.
They were a very spiritual group and believed that all things have spirits.
- The Sun Dance, also known as the Offerings Lodge ceremonial, is one of the seven sacred ceremonials.